The Phantom of The Grand Diamond
by Ascended Demon
Summary: The Grand Diamond of New York has been around for nearly a century. During that time, a phantom known as "The Phantom of The Grand Diamond" has been sighted many times throughout the years. Little is known about The Phantom, and Gin's curiosity leads him to searching for answers. Rated M for later chapters, and, of course, M/M. Don't like, don't read. Rewriting chapter 4.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** **So, this is my third story. I will still be focusing on Absolute Immortals, but I'll work on this whenever I can. It'll be like those fanfics with crossovers between The Phantom of The Opera, only this won't be a crossover. Read, tell me what you think in the reviews. Now, on with the story.**

* * *

America was a beautiful country. There were many beautiful places, some better than others. In New York, there was an Opera House known as The Grand Diamond, a rather luxurious place, filled with old, yet beautiful items. It had been built nearly a century ago, and despite modern society, it had remained old fashion. It had not closed down either, for it still had the same popularity it had in the early to mid 1900s. Almost everyday, people would come to visit it, and every week, there was usually a performance every week.

It was nighttime, and standing across the street from the Opera House was a young blue furred akita, Gin. He was a former soldier and leader of the Ohu Army of Japan, a foreigner. Gin had recently moved to New York a couple weeks ago, leaving his friends back in Japan. He had come for a fresh start.

He had heard of The Grand Diamond before, and knew of its popularity. The Opera House was one of the main reasons he had moved to New York to begin with. After all, he was a fan of music, but opera is what he enjoyed most.

He smiled; tonight there would be a performance, and he had just gotten himself a ticket for it. Looking both ways, the Akita quickly crossed the street and entered the building.

Inside, he looked around in awe when he saw all the beautiful antics. It wasn't everyday you saw something old and valuable like everything the Opera House had.

"Like what you see, huh?"

Turning around, Gin saw a Carolina dog walking up to him. "Yes, I do."

The Carolina Dog chuckled. "Beautiful. How it all has lasted this long is beyond me. Nonetheless, I'm grateful that it has." He stuck on his hand. "I'm Blake."

Gin shook the other's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Blake. I'm Gin."

"So, Gin, what brings you to The Grand Diamond? Fan of opera, antics, something of that sort?"

"Both, actually. I'm originally from Japan, but they don't exactly have places like this where I'm from. It's a pity, but I guess places like this are more of an american thing."

"Well, I'm sure you'll enjoy tonight's performance."

Gin nodded as they walked down the hallway. "You know, I've heard that a lot more people used to come here, but they don't anymore. Why's that?"

Blake sighed. "Some people believe the house is haunted. Claim they've seen things, but there was never proof. It's like the places that are old are usually the ones that are haunted."

"I get that." Gin said. "I've heard of places in America that are said to be haunted. Have you seen anything?"

Blake shook his head. "For two years, I've been coming to the Grand Diamond, and never have I seen anything supernatural. I'm no atheist, but I need proof in order to believe it."

Gin nodded understanding as he decided to change the topic. "You know, I did some writing about the supernatural."

Blake raised a brow, growing interested. "Yeah?"

Gin nodded. "I've written many stories. I wrote stories involving angels, demons, etc. I've done a lot of research on the supernatural, but a lot of the time, I've made some things up. I don't believe in most of the lore says."

Blake nodded as they reached the seating area. "Well, it was nice to meet you, Gin. I'm gonna go find myself a seat."

The Akita nodded. "Alright, I'll see you another time."

It wasn't long before Gin found himself a seat near the stage, and the performance began. It was a beautiful symphony, reminded Gin of the symphonies he had heard before, but this was the first time he had been at a live concert. This truly was a grand experience, perhaps that's what gave the house it's name, The Grand Diamond. It was the diamond of New York.

Sadly, the symphony had come to an end and Gin sighed, wishing it would continue on, but it was pointless. But, he could just come again to the next performance.

He was the last person in the large room to get up to leave. However, the Akita didn't want to leave just yet. While the symphony was over, he wanted to see more of the Opera House. Walking through a hallway, Gin stumbled upon a room with a massive staircase and a chandelier.

Gin was in awe, but then something caught his eye. Looking up at the left stairwell, Gin saw a canine dressed in a black suit, with a white undershirt and white gloves. The suit had a black cape, and the canine also wore a hat similar to a pirate hat with a red feather. But what caught Gin's attention the most was the face of the canine... there wasn't one.

Instead, the head was nothing but a black skull, the skull of a doberman it seemed. The Doberman's fangs were long, longer than normal, and in his eye sockets were flames. Dark red flames, very bright, and Gin could tell the Doberman was looking down at him.

For a moment, they stared at each other in silence. Gin didn't know what to do in this situation. Should he run? For the first time in a long time, he was actually afraid, but despite the Doberman's appearance, there weren't any signs that he posed a threat.

Eventually, the Doberman walked off, and out of curiosity, Gin rushed up the staircase to follow him. However, when he reached the stairwell, he looked to see that the Doberman wasn't there. He had simply vanished.

* * *

"No way. You actually saw something?" Blake asked, sitting on a bench next to Gin across the street from the Opera House.

The Akita nodded. "I know it sounds crazy, but I know what I saw."

Blake nodded. "Look, Gin, I'm not much of a believer in this stuff, but I know you're not making this up. So, what'd you see?"

For a moment, Gin was silent as he asked himself the same question. WHAT did he see?

He sighed. "I honestly don't know. A ghost? He, I think it was a he, wore this black suit that had a cape, white gloves, and a pirate hat with a red feather. But his face... it was just a skull. A black skull, and I swear, he had fire where his eyes should've been."

"The Phantom of The Grand Diamond."

Gin looked at Blake. "What?"

The Carolina Dog sighed. "It's an urban legend. A few people claim to have seen him within The Grand Diamond. However, it wasn't just The Grand Diamond he's been spotted at. Some say he stood on the Empire State building, others claim that they saw him in other places in other states. I once heard that he was spotted at another Opera House... in Paris."

Gin nodded. "What else do you know?"

Blake shrugged. "Not much. Not everyone sees him. Most of the sightings are within The Grand Diamond. Some have seen him on the rafters backstage, others have ventured into the cellars where they claimed to have seen him, but the house is big, and the cellars seem endless. It's easy to get lost down there. Although, I do know that he's believed to be sinister."

Gin raised a brow. "Sinister how?"

Blake sighed. "Look, Gin, I believe that you know what you saw, but these are really just rumors, not facts. I'll tell you, though. The Phantom is believed to be involved in several incidences. Some dogs have even died."

Gin's eyes widened. "Died? How?"

Blake shrugged. "A couple have been hanged backstage on the rafters. Another guy, who was really a criminal, I might add, was shot in the back of the head. And I also heard of a woman that drowned, in a sink in the bathroom. But get this, the ones that died had it coming. The ones that had been hanged were part of gangs, so was the guy that was shot. And the woman had committed murder."

"So, The Phantom targets anyone who has it coming?"

"It seems that way, but there's really no proof that The Phantom had anything to do with deaths. But I'm a cop, Gin, and between you and me, nothing adds up."

The Akita raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

Blake sighed. "There was a death of a serial killer who had been in the lobby, where there are cameras. And you know what they saw? Nothing. But get this, the guy's neck snapped. It looked like someone had snapped it, and there was a witness who claims that it was The Phantom, but the witness and the serial killer showed up on camera, while The Phantom did not."

"Are you serious?" Gin asked in shock.

Blake nodded. "I'm serious. I was the witness, Gin."

"But you said you never saw The Phantom or anything like that." The Akita pointed out.

Blake sighed. "I lied, because I didn't know how to explain what I saw. I pulled out my gun, told him to put his hands behind his head, but he approached me. I panicked, shot him, but the bullet didn't penetrate his skin, nor did it bounce off. It _shattered._ It was like glass. When it was made a crime scene, no one found any of the fragments, but I doubt The Phantom would've taken them."

"Did you ever see him after that?"

"No. That was the only time I ever saw him myself. Be careful, Gin. I don't think The Phantom would hurt an innocent, he's never done so before, but The Grand Diamond is like his home, and he doesn't take kindly to when others go after him. I few cops searched for him, and they saw things, things they couldn't explain, even though they didn't actually him. I wouldn't suggest trying to find him."

Blake stood up and walked away, probably on his way home while Gin stayed sitting there on the bench. The Akita sat there, thinking about what he had just been told. It was hard to process, but he had already seen something impossible.

Gin felt as though he was being watched, and he looked around the street, only to find it empty. He looked at The Grand Diamond and noticed something on the room. Gin gasped when he saw that it was The Phantom, staring down at him with those eyes of fire. The Doberman's skull showed no emotion, but nonetheless, Gin felt intimidated by him. The Akita was frozen, unable to look away, then The Phantom was gone. Simply disappeared like he had before.

Despite the shock and fear he had felt, Gin still had some curiosity. He just wanted to know more about this phantom. After all, he was into the supernatural, and if he could find The Phantom again, maybe he could learn more.


	2. Chapter 2

After his two encounters with The Phantom, Gin had decided that he needed to ask around in order to get some answers. A lot of people claim to have seen The Phantom, and Blake said that he saw The Phantom as well. However, The Phantom had not shown up on the security camera, which seemed odd as it was believed that cameras could pick up ghosts, spirits, things of the sort. Then again, Gin never believed cameras could see ghosts, which is why he always thought those videos of ghosts getting caught on tape were fake. Seems that supernatural beings have a concealment ability that hides them from machines, at least, that was Gin's theory.

Either way, he was going to start by speaking to the staff of The Grand Diamond. Surely they've seen something. So, he would start with the manger, Kevin Charles, who had been manager for nearly ten years.

"So, you've seen The Phantom, huh?" Kevin asked as he sat down on his recliner. The two were at his apartment, a very nice and affordable place, and the Husky had good taste, considering the nice furniture.

Gin nodded as he sat down on a chair across from where Kevin was seating. "I thought that since your family owns The Grand Diamond, you all might know a bit know."

Kevin nodded understandingly. "We do. You know, it was my grandfather that built The Grand Diamond, New York's Diamond; some call it. When I was a kid, I used to go there all the time." He let out a sigh. "One night, there was a performance, and I saw him. He was standing on one of the balconies, just watching the whole thing. And once the performance was over, he disappeared. A lot of the staff claim to have seen him wandering the halls, standing at the top of the staircases."

"Is there anything else, Kevin?" Gin asked curiously.

The Husky nodded. "Well, there was once a gang leader at The Grand Diamond. He sat on one of the balcony seats, and I saw The Phantom standing behind him, with a colt revolver in his right hand. He aimed it at the gang leader's head and pulled the trigger, and right after he did, he disappeared, and there was never any evidence that he did it. The police chief Blake said there wasn't even a bullet."

Gin's eyes widened, then he nodded. "Thanks for sharing this with me, Kevin."

"Thank you for believing me, Gin. There's some people who are still skeptical."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Gin had decided to visit the police station to speak to Blake in case he knew anything else.

"Gin, what a surprise. I assume you're here for information about The Phantom?" The police chief asked knowingly.

The Akita nodded. "Yes, I was wondering if you knew anything else."

"He doesn't, but I do."

The two looked to see a German shepherd walk up to them.

Blake nodded. "Gin, this is Detective Marcus. He was one of the few who went looking for The Phantom."

The Detective nodded. "Come with me."

The German Shepherd took the Akita to his office, where they sat down across from each other.

"Okay, first, let me ask you this. Why are you looking for The Phantom?"

"I saw him. Twice." Gin stated. "He just stared at me whenever we were alone, and then he would leave. I just want to know more about him. Who he is, what he does, what he's capable of."

Marcus nodded. "Well, he's capable of a lot. I once went to The Grand Diamond to investigate. I never actually saw him, but I saw some rather strange things. First, the lights would turn off, as if there was a power outage, then they'd come back on. Second thing was I heard heard noises, like doors opening and closing, footsteps, and whispers that I couldn't make out. After that, I'd see a shadow of someone walking down the hallways, but I would go down the hallways and see no one. Finally... things got intense."

"Intense how?" Gin asked curiously.

Marcus took a deep breath. "The lights began flickering, I heard screams, and then... I saw the wall, and it said, "Get out!" So I ran, didn't look back. When there was a performance the next day, I went to where it said, "Get out!" But there wasn't anything on the walls, the power was working properly, and I had been the only person there that night."

Gin nodded. "Thank you."

* * *

Gin had returned to his apartment and sat down on his bed when he noticed something on it. It was a piece of paper, a note. He reached over and grabbed it before he began reading it.

 _Dear Gin,_

 _I must say, when I saw you at The Grand Diamond last night... you truly caught my interest. The Diamond is where I reside and enjoy whatever performance there is, it is my home. I've resided there since it was built in 1937, a very long time ago, it seems. I can still remember what it had been like in the 1900s._ _I ask that you stop trying to find me. I understand that you are curious and wish to know more, but please, I only wish to remain alone. Just forget that you saw me and move on with your life._

 _Sincerely,_

 _The Phantom of The Grand Diamond._

The Akita stared down at the letter, and he reread it several times, and he knew it wasn't some prank. But he didn't know what to think. When he had first seen The Phantom, he never thought the Doberman would speak, and yet he has sent him a note. It made Gin wonder how many times The Phantom had spoken to anyone. He had to find out.

* * *

"No way." Kevin muttered as he read the letter.

After finding the letter, Gin had brought Kevin, Blake, and Marcus over to talk about it.

"I can't believe it. The Phantom of The Grand Diamond actually wrote to you." Blake said.

"Is there anyone else who The Phantom has spoken to?" Gin asked.

Kevin shrugged. "I know almost every witness, every person who claims to have seen him, and no one has ever heard his voice or has been sent a letter by him."

"I think we're missing the big picture." Marcus looked at Gin. "The Phantom said you had caught his interest. What could he have meant?"

Gin shrugged. "I don't know. I was at the opera last night, wandered around to see everything it had, and I saw him at the top of one of the staircases, staring down at me." He looked at Blake. "After you left, I saw him again, standing at the top of The Grand Diamond, just staring at me."

Marcus nodded. "So, he likes you for some reason, so it doesn't sound like he would hurt you. But still, it might not be the best idea to go look for him. He might not appear to you again."

"I'm not giving up, guys." Gin said determinedly. "I'm going back tonight. And you all cannot talk me out of it."


	3. Chapter 3

New York was usually loud, with all the cars driving by, not to mention bright, due to all the lights, but in this part of the city? The area around The Grand Diamond was always quiet and dark at night, almost like a ghost town. It really seemed like the perfect place for a phantom to reside. Perhaps that's one of the other reasons The Phantom is usually at The Grand Diamond. He must enjoy the peace and quiet.

Gin was alone, the others hadn't come with him as they didn't want to disturb The Phantom, and they've tried to talk Gin out of going, but the Akita didn't listen and came here. He had to admit, he liked the peace and quiet around here.

Outside the building, Gin looked around to see if there was any one else, but he was on his own. It gave him a nervous feeling that made him want to leave, but he couldn't, he wouldn't give up.

He grabbed the handle of the door before opening it. Kevin never locked it in case someone tried to steal something as The Phantom would always scare away any thieves.

The inside was dark since the lights weren't on, and all Gin had was a flashlight to see in the dark. He looked around, seeing nothing but the antiques that were owned. It was quiet, too quiet, and he felt like he was being watched, but he turned around and no one would be there. Things were starting to become creepy, but he couldn't leave, not yet.

When he had checked the lobby, he began to quietly walk down the halls, listening carefully. Gin remembered how Marcus said that he heard screams, but it was quiet. Nothing abnormal was going on... yet.

As Gin walked down one of the halls, he froze when he noticed one of the lights had turned on at the center of the hall. He tightened the grip he had on his flashlight, but it would be useless, as Blake told him that when he shot The Phantom, the bullet shattered, so how would a flashlight be any different? He didn't think The Phantom wanted to hurt him, considering how The Phantom was willing to send him a message to not search for him. That had to mean that he didn't want to hurt him, right?

Of course, there really was no way for him to actually be sure, cause The Phantom may try to hurt him. And Gin wouldn't be able to defend himself. Could he even escape?

Once he was underneath the light, it turned off before the rest turned on, except they weren't providing much light, like they were low on power, and they were flickering. Even with the light, the hallway was still dark.

He noticed a brighter light coming from one of the rooms, a dressing room. Gin slowly approached the door, then he opened it before rushing inside. The light was on in this room, and there was someone sitting in the chair, but it wasn't The Phantom.

"Hello?" Gin called out softly, and he got no response. "Who's there?"

Still no reply, and Gin began to cautiously approach. The figure was still silent, but before Gin could get any closer, it stood up. The figure looked like a wolf, clearly a male.

"Are you okay?" Gin asked.

The wolf said nothing, instead he turned around, and Gin gasped in horror when he saw how disfigured the wolf was. It was missing its eyes, its face, and it had its intestines hanging out of its stomach.

Immediately, Gin ran out of the room and shut the door behind him, panting heavily as he tried to calm down. Blake had not told him about a forth death, so what did he just see? Nervously, Gin slowly opened the door and there was nothing there. What was that?

Sighing, he closed the door and began to calm down. He wanted to leave, but he felt that he had gone to far to turn back, so he continued on.

So far, he hadn't seen anything else besides whatever it was that he just saw. The lights were off, so he had to rely on his flashlight. It was quiet again, which made him nervous. Then it got worse, his flashlight began flickering before it turned off. Gin shook it, and it quickly became apparent to him that the batteries were dead.

"Great." He said before he noticed something down the hall. It was hard to see with all the darkness, but it looked like two balls of fire. That same fire The Phantom had for eyes. Gin held out his hands, trying to show that he meant no harm. "I-I know you told me not to look for you, but please, just tell me who you are."

Slowly, Gin walked down the hall, and as he got closer, his eyes were able to adjust to the darkness and he could make out the outline of The Phantom. It was still hard to seen, but the Doberman looked like he wasn't wearing his hat. But before he could get any closer, The Phantom disappeared.

Looking around, Gin saw that he was on the backstage, and he noticed the rafters over him. He looked around for a way up and saw a ladder he could use. The Akita walked up to it and began to climb. He got onto the rafters, and he saw a light and heard music. Curiously, he walked over to the edge of the rafters and could see people sitting on the seats while a beautiful female kishu was singing, but that's not what caught his attention. Looking around, he quickly noticed something was off. The Grand Diamond... it looked brand new. And judging by what everyone was wearing, it looked like it was the 40s at least, probably after America had managed to get out of the Depression.

Then he saw several armed men rush into the place, all of them carrying Thompson submachine guns. Gin's eyes widened when he realized what was about to happen. The men opened fire, shooting at all the people inside. Screams were heard as most of them tried to escape, but they were surrounded. Gin couldn't stand watching, so he jumped off the rafters and ran towards one of the gangsters.

The gangster shot at him, but Gin dived to the right and tucked his head in as he rolled, dodging the bullets before he quickly got back on his feet and punched the gangster across the face. He grabbed the Thompson before yanking it out of his grip and aiming it at the gangster, and he shot him in the head. He barely had time to duck as the others saw him and began shooting at him. Good, he diverted their attention from the civilians.

Gin moved through the chairs, and the gangsters couldn't see him before he stood up and shot at one about four times, hitting him in the stomach. Another aimed his Thompson at the Akita, but Gin was quick and aimed his own Thompson at the gangster before shooting him in the hip, making him lose his grip on his weapon. Gin shot him two more times in the abdomen, this time killing him as he dropped his gun and fell onto a chair.

He ducked behind the chairs as the gangsters began firing at him again, their bullets penetrating the seats, but they missed their target. Gin couldn't help but find them pathetic, since someone with military experience would've been doing a better job, at least that's what he thought.

Gin got out of cover and leapt over one of the chairs, hip firing at a gangster on his right, and then he moved his Thompson to the left in order to shoot one before he could shoot at him, and he landed behind cover just as the rest continued firing at him. Gin pulled out the clip in his Thompson and cursed when he saw that it was empty, but out of nowhere, an M4A1 appeared on the seat next to him, and it had an extra magazine.

Not bothering to wonder as to how it had gotten there, Gin grabbed it and got out of cover before aiming the rifle at the gangsters, shooting at three of them, killing them quickly before aiming it to the left in order to shoot another. He ducked behind the seats as the last one began shooting at him from the balcony. Taking a deep breath, Gin immediately stood up and aimed down the sight of the assault rifle in his grip. With the gangster's head in the crosshair of the scope, Gin wasting no time before pulling the trigger. It was as if time slowed down as he literally saw the bullet fly out of the barrel and through the gangster's skull, coming out the other side easily before the gangster fell over the rail and onto tone of the seats below.

"Drop your weapon!"

Gin looked to see police officers standing there, all of them aiming their handguns at him. Panting lightly, Gin looked around and saw that the room was normal. No singer, no civilians, no gangsters, the lights weren't even on. Lowering the rifle in his hand, Gin was Blake, who ordered the officers to lower their weapons as he walked up to the Akita.

"Gin... what the hell is this?" He demanded.

Gin panted as he looked around one last time, and then he looked at the police chief. "I'm not sure you'd believe me, even after what you saw."

* * *

Despite what the officers saw, Blake and Kevin were able to keep Gin from getting arrested, as there was no evidence that anything happened. Despite the bullet cartridges that had been found, there were no bullet holes, and they had also found cartridges belonging to a Thompson, but the entire opera house was searched and no Thompson guns were found.

Right now, Gin was having a drink with Blake, Kevin, and the officers that had been on scene, and he was explaining to them what he had seen.

"So, let me get this straight. You had ended up in the 40s, fought off gangsters, and an M4, which wasn't built back then, had just appeared on the seat next to you?" Blake asked, still trying to process what he just heard. After his encounter with The Phantom, he thought he had seen it all. He was wrong.

Gin just nodded. "As crazy as it sounds, I know _exactly_ what I saw."

Marcus shook his head. "And I thought my experience was intense. I mean, fighting off a gang? Glad The Phantom didn't do that to me?"

"You know, I can't help but feel like it was a test of some sort." Gin said. "I mean, The Phantom probably knows about my military history, and when that rifle appeared next to me, it just had to be a test of some sort."

Blake nodded. "Maybe. But what was he testing?"

Gin shrugged. "Probably what'd I do in a situation like that. Would I run? Would I stand there wondering what the hell was happening? Or would I try to do something?"

"Well, I for one would've fought." Blake stated. "I've never backed down from a challenge in my life."

Gin chuckled as he shook his head. "Careful what you wish for."

* * *

Gin had just returned to his apartment, taking off his shirt and his pants before letting himself fall onto his bed. Sighing, he looked at the window and noticed a rolled up piece of paper. Already knowing it was a letter, Gin reached over, grabbing it before he began to read it.

 _Dear Gin,_

 _Somehow, I just knew you wouldn't do what I asked. I suspected that someone like you wouldn't give up easy. Just so you know, that wolf you saw was me. I had simply disguised myself to see what would happen. You were right, it was a test. That was the first test, to see if you'd have the will to go on. The second test was to see if you had the will to fight. I knew you'd try to save everyone. What had happened in 1941 was a tragedy. And you want to know something interesting? You really were there. I had sent you there in order to save as many people as you could. You'd already been there, because my future self had already sent you there to save everyone._

 _Time, Gin, is a complex thing. I've known for a VERY long time, long before the house was even built, long before opera was a thing. Things were primitive back then, and even in the late 1900s, everything was still rather primitive. I don't believe you'll listen, but I ask one last time for you to stop searching for me._

 _Sincerely,_

 _The Phantom of The Grand Diamond._

Gin shook his head, letting out another sigh. The Phantom was right, he wouldn't listen. He was close to getting some answers, and from what The Phantom said, he had been around long before the 1900s, so just how old was he? If Gin could talk to him in person, that'd be one of the many questions he'd ask.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Alright, so the reason I rewrote the chapter was because after reading it a few times, I realized it was a little rushed. So, this is the remake. I don't wanna rush the story, especially when I think it was too short, due to being rushed. Anyway, on with the story.**

* * *

Late at night, the sound of traffic could be heard from the streets below as Gin laid comfortably on his bed. It wasn't as hard as it seemed to sleep with all the noise, and besides, Gin used to sleep through a lot of noise during his time in the military. In fact, he's dealt with much louder noises than this.

It was peaceful, regardless of how loud the city was. But Gin wasn't alone tonight. Sitting on his bed was The Phantom, who merely stared down at him, watching him sleep. The Doberman reached over and ran the back of his fingers across Gin's cheek, and this seemed to make the Akita relax even more.

For awhile, The Phantom just sat there, staring down at Gin, and then a knock was heard.

Gin immediately sat up and looked around, and he saw that no one was there. There was another knock and he yawned before getting out of bed and walking to the door. Rubbing his eyes, he opened the door and his eyes widened when he saw who was standing outside.

"John?"

The German Shepherd grinned. "Who else?" He pulled the Akita into a hug and patted his back. "Do you know how long it took me to find you?"

"I imagine it took awhile." Gin said with a smile. "Is it just you?"

"Nope. We tagged along, too." Kurotora said as he walked in with Smith.

"Wow. Nice place you got here, Gin." Smith commented.

Gin chuckled. "Thanks."

The Akita and his friends all sat down in the living room and began catching up.

"And that's what has been going on back in Ohu." Kurotora said as he finished.

"So, did anything interesting happen here, Gin?" Smith asked.

Gin shook his head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try us." John insisted.

Gin was silent for a moment, then he spoke. "Okay. There's a phantom in New York."

Smith began laughing hysterically, while John and Kurotora looked at Gin strangely.

"You're... not joking?" John asked in surprise.

Gin chuckled. "I told you all, you wouldn't believe me."

"A phantom? In New York?"

"What's the urban legend?" Kurotora asked.

"Well, from what I was able to find out, there's an opera house called "The Grand Diamond." There's this phantom who's been sighting there, and supposedly around the world, but most of the sightings happened at the opera house. They call him "The Phantom of The Grand Diamond." Gin said.

"Have you seen this phantom?" John asked.

"Uh... yeah." Gin answered.

John's eyes widened slightly. "How many times?"

"A few times."

"What's he look like?"

"Well, he wears this black suit with a white undershirt and white gloves. He also had a black cape and what looked like a black pirate hat with a red feather, but his face... that's what really got my attention."

"What was wrong with his face?"

"He didn't have one."

Smith raised a brow. "So, you was skinless?"

Gin shook his head. "It was just his skull. A black doberman skull, with very bright and dark red flames where his eyes should be. I'm not kidding, I was scared."

Kurotora's eyes widened. "Okay, I've never been one for ghosts or anything like that. But if _you_ were scared, then I believe ya."

Gin chuckled. "Yeah, but... I kinda got used to his appearance. I even went searching for him."

John's eyes widened. "You went ghost hunting? Isn't that a bad idea, even for you?"

Gin shrugged. "He's never done anything to hurt me. Hell, apparently I interest him."

John raised a brow. "What makes you say that?"

Gin stood up and went to his room. About a minute later, he came back and handed his friend the notes. John read the first one, and his eyes widened. He was able to continue and read the second one, and that time, he dropped the notes and looked at the Akita in shock.

"You went back in time and fought gangsters?"

Kurotora and Smith looked at the German Shepherd strangely, so he handed them the notes for them to read, and they stared at Gin wide eyed.

"Wow, Gin. You always seem to have the craziest adventures." Smith said.

"You went to the 40s? Seriously?" Kurotora was still trying to process the information. "Okay, this is crazy on a whole other level."

"I still have trouble believing it myself." Gin admitted. "At first, I thought it was some sort of illusion. Next thing I know, the police chief comes in and I'm holding a M4, there's cartridges on the floor, yet no bullet holes anywhere. With the help of Kevin, the owner of The Diamond, he was able to keep me from being locked up."

"Of course you'd try to save people, no matter how insane the situation was." John said, referring to how Gin had immediately went to save everyone even though he was in the past.

Gin shrugged. "Well, what can I say? People were in trouble, and instincts kicked in."

"Well, you prevented a massacre. They should reward you." Smith said.

Gin chuckled. "A lot of New Yorkers believe in The Phantom, but time travel is still a little far fetched, Smith."

The Spaniel shrugged. "You deserve something."

"Believe me, knowing that the supernatural is real is enough." Gin replied.

"So, you gonna go back, even after he asked you not to?" John asked.

Gin rolled his eyes as he grinned. "He pretty much expects me to go back. He already knew I'd go to search for him. He tests me by seeing if I have the willpower to go on after I see a wolf without a face and with his intestines hanging out. Then he tests me by seeing if I had the will to fight."

John shook his head. "Knew I couldn't talk you out of it."

"So, if you find The Phantom and he talks to you, what will you say?" Smith asked curiously.

Gin shrugged. "I'll probably ask how old he is. I mean, he's apparently been around before The Diamond was built, and when he said "long," I can assume that he met before even the 1900s. He also said he's been around when things were primitive, before the 1900s, so how is he?"

"Maybe he was born in the 19th century? During the civil war or before?" Kurotora suggested.

"Yeah, can't say I'd be surprised." Gin said.

"Hey, is it alright if we stay here? John was too cheep to get us a place to stay." Smith said.

John rolled his eyes. "Should've brought your own money."

"I did!" Smith yelled. "But I didn't think the apartments were THIS expensive."

Kurotora snorted. "What'd you expect? This is New York."

Gin chuckled. "Yeah, you guys can stay here. I only have one guess bed, so who's taking it?"

"Me!" Smith stood up immediately. "After the LONG flight, and driving through so much traffic, I think I deserve the bed."

Kurotora snorted. "Like you did most of the heavy lifting."

"Guys, no fighting." Gin said sternly. Even if he was no longer Leader of the former Ohu Army, he could still boss them around in his apartment. "I'm not gonna put up with you arguing, especially when I want to go to bed."

* * *

The next day, Gin had walked into the police department to find Blake, who was in his office reading a file.

"Hey, Blake, you busy?"

The Carolina Dog sighed as he set the file down. "Some bastard serial killer from California has made his way here, but we don't have any leads on his current location." He stood up and stretched. "So I can't exactly say I'm busy at the moment. What's up?"

"Well, I just came to ask you if you were going to tonight's performance at the opera." Gin replied. "I would've called, but you never gave me your number."

Blake chuckled. "Yeah, that just never came to mind. Anyway, yes, I'm going, and I imagine you are, too. But not for the performance?"

Gin rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm going to watch the performance. I'll look for The Phantom after the performance."

Blake nodded. "Alright then. Well, I'll meet you there."

* * *

"Wow. I cannot believe you came to, Akame." Gin said in surprise.

The Kishu chuckled. "Believe me, I didn't plan on coming cause I had to stay with Iga, but a lot of my generals can take care of the clan for the time being."

"Well, make yourself at home." Gin said as he sat down on the sofa. "John, Kurotora, and Smith are out wandering the city."

"Oh, I would imagine. We know how they are." Akame said before sitting down on a chair. "So, anything interesting happen since you came here?"

"Well... do you believe in ghosts? Phantoms?" Gin asked.

Akame raised a brow. "Um, I suppose, why?"

"Okay, there's this opera house called The Grand Diamond, New York's Diamond, some call it. It was built in 1937, and there's this urban legend about a phantom. One that's been sighted in the opera house." Gin explained.

"Like the Phantom of The Opera?" Akame asked in confusion.

Gin shrugged. "More or less. He doesn't talk, but he has sent me two letters so far, and there's no way it's a prank, cause no one broke into my apartment."

Akame sighed. "Normally, I don't believe these things as they're just urban legends, and legends like that tend to be myths. But... I know you well enough to know you wouldn't make this up. But have you even seen this phantom?"

Gin nodded. "A few times, so far."

Akame shook his head. "Unbelievable. What's he look like?"

"Well, picture a doberman wearing a black suit with a white undershirt and gloves, a black cape, and nothing but a skull, with fire where his eyes should be."

"Yep, that sounds like a phantom, alright. Okay, um, knowing you, I assume you've been digging around, looking for answers?"

"Yeah, but there's not much. I've talked to three people that have seen him, but other than sightings, that's it. They don't know who he is, or why he's in The Diamond to begin with."

"Well, phantoms are spirits, right?"

"Yes."

"Okay, spirits and ghosts are technically the same thing. So like any ghost, they were alive once."

Gin nodded, realizing where his friend was going with this. "Alright, but how am I gonna find out who he is? It's not like I can just look for information about dobermans that died in the 1900s. Not only that, but The Phantom said he was old, Akame. Says he's been around before opera was a thing. And according to the internet, opera began in 1597."

Akame sighed. "There has to be another way for you to find answers. I mean, if this urban legend is so popular, then there's probably more than three witnesses, right?"

"Yeah, but I only know those three."

"Well, ask around. There has to be more than just a couple people who've seen him if the legend is so popular to begin with."

Gin nodded. "Thanks, Akame." The Akita stood up, only to be stopped by his friend.

"You're leaving already?"

"Yeah, I'll go get some answers later. I gotta make lunch, anyway."

Akame raised a brow. "Wait, they're staying here? Really?"

Gin sighed. "According to Smith, John was too cheap to get them a place to stay, so I'm letting them stay here. They argued so much last night that no one got the guess bed, so I guess you can have it."

Akame grinned. "They'll get upset."

Gin shrugged. "Beggars can't beat choosers."

Akame sighed. "If I haven't learned that the hard way once, I would've found it funny."

* * *

"So, let me ask you this, you wanna go to another country to live with your longtime friend, yet none of you bring the money to buy a place to stay?" Akame asked, looking at the three.

"Looks who talking, Mister Sleep On The Guess Bed." Kurotora replied in annoyance.

Akame chuckled. "Oh, I might not be staying, but if I do, I'm gonna save my money for a nice place. Something you all should've done."

Gin laughed. "It's true, you three. After all, you all are the ones who asked if you could stay here."

John sighed. "Okay, in hindsight, I should've saved up some more money, alright? I admit it."

Gin stood up and stretched. "Well, since you all have made yourselves at home, I'm gonna go ask around about The Phantom."

Akame nodded. "Good luck."

Kurotora chuckled. "Gin said The Phantom sent him back in time. I'm pretty sure he'll get plenty of luck."

Akame sighed. "I just managed to accept the fact that there were ghosts here. Time travel? What's next? Does The Phantom turn out to not be a real phantom?"

* * *

Later that day, at another apartment in New York, Gin had asked Kevin who were the known witnesses, and his friend had given him a list of their names, as well as their addresses. It didn't take long to find the first witness, Amanda Miller, a young husky who lived in New York all her life.

"I wasn't expecting this, Gin. I don't get any visitors asking me about The Phantom." Amanda said.

Gin nodded. "I was hoping you could tell me what happened the times you saw him."

"Well, it's pretty simple. I'm sitting on my seat, watching the performance. Then I get up to use the restroom, but I look up and I see him standing behind the railing of the middle balcony, just watching the performance. I rubbed my eyes, and then he's gone, so I figure I'm just seeing things, and I go to the restroom. Later, I come out, but I get lost, cause the opera's so big and all. I'm trying to remember which hallway I came down, and out of the corner of my eye, I see someone at the end of one of the hallways, just walked across. When that happens, I call out to whoever it is, but I get no answer. Curiosity gets the better of me and I walk down that hallway. When I do, I see no one. Just when I think I'm probably seeing things because of stress, the lights began flickering, then they shut off completely. It's so dark I can't see, but one of the hallway lights is flickering a bit, giving some light. And down that hallway, I see The Phantom standing there, his back turned towards me."

"What did you do then?"

"I call out to him, ask who's there. But when he turns around, all I see is this skull staring at me. Like some people, I'm just frozen, not sure if I should run or not. Then the lights turn back on, and he's just gone. Nothing more."

"Why do you think he did that?"

Amanda chuckled. "Well, The Phantom's believed to be very isolated, and some think he prefers to be alone, so I think he was trying to scare me away so I'd leave him alone."

Gin nodded. "Thank you for talking with me."

* * *

The next one is a mid age Anatolian shepherd named Dennis, who had been going to the opera since he moved to New York in the early 2000s.

"Huh, never thought I'd have someone asking me about The Diamond and it's good old guardian." He said jokingly as he sat down.

"Is that what he is?" Gin asked.

"He might as well be. I've heard of a lot of people trying to steal some of the antiques from the opera, but they've all been scared away by The Phantom. Since then, the owner doesn't even bother locking the front door anymore. Basically daring people to take their chances."

"Sounds interesting."

"Well, that's one way to put it."

"So, I've been told by the owner that you've The Phantom before, right?"

"Sure. But why are you asking me? Didn't you go back in time to stop a massacre?"

Gin's eyes widened. "How'd you...?"

Dennis chuckled. "My cousin works for the police department. Told me what happened, that The Phantom sent someone named Gin to stop a massacre in 1941. Now, I might've seen The Phantom himself a few times, but time travel? Now that's hard to believe, but then again, people would say the same thing about The Phantom, so I can kinda believe it."

Gin chuckled. "Yeah. Well, I've been wanting to get as many answers as possible about The Phantom, and I still don't know much. Like who he really is, everything that he's done, or everything about all the sightings of him."

"Alright. When I was younger, I moved here to The Big Apple. Didn't do much until I had completely settled in. So after about a couple months, when I had officially moved in, I decided to finally do whatever I wanted to do. Now, I've never been much for opera, but I heard of The Grand Diamond's popularity, so after awhile, I decided to go to a performance. There was a beautiful singer, so I stayed there for awhile. However, things took an interesting turn when I heard some guys talking about The Phantom in the lobby."

"What'd you do?"

"Well, I'm a pretty skeptic guy. I have to see it to believe it, but I decided to look for The Phantom anyway. Mostly cause I didn't expect him to be real. But the rumors were true."

"And that was the first time you saw him?"

Dennis nodded. "After that night, I went back with my cousin I told you about. We go in, look around, and a lot of creepy shit happened. I saw shadows exiting the hallways, the lights flickered before shutting off completely. Then I heard screaming."

Gin's eyes widened. "Screaming?"

"Yeah. Scared the shit out of me. Then I'm on the stage where I see a beautiful singer, and a large audience. But here's the thing, everything looked brand-new. The opera had just been built."

"You went back in time, too?"

Dennis shook his head. "I don't think so. None of it felt real to me. I think The Phantom just showed me a glimpse of the past. Anyway, the performance ends and everyone leaves. But I'm still there, and I see this big old brute come on stage, looked like a gang leader. At first, he starts making out with the singer, but eventually she shoves him away. Soon, they get into this fight and he slits her throat with his claws."

"My god. What happened next?"

"The guy goes to the restroom, I follow him there, wishing I could teach him a lesson, but every time I just, my fists only go through him, and I remember I'm not really there. Just when the guy finishes washing his hands, the lights shut off, but I can still see. And you know what I see?"

"What?" Gin asked interestedly.

"The Phantom." Dennis replied. "Standing behind him, but the guy doesn't see him. Then the lights turn back on, but there's cracks in the mirror. And these cracks say, "Death." I start hearing this demonic whispering, and it seems like there's an echo to it."

"What are they saying?" Gin asked curiously.

""Pay. Pay. You are gonna pay." The guy starts looking around, trying to find where it's coming from, then he looks at the sink and it's full of water. That shouldn't happen, cause they have drains and all, but when he steps over to get a closer look, and a fucking skeleton hand immediately grabs him by the throat."

Gin raised a brow. "So, he was strangled to death?"

Dennis nodded slowly. "Yes, but... it only took a few seconds for his face to turn purple. Then the hand pulls his head under, but he's not struggling, like he doesn't have the strength. Then I'm on the rafters back stage, and I see a guy standing there. Looked like it was the early 40s. I see these flashes of the guy drowning kids, and doing... other things."

Gin could tell by the Shepherd's look of disgust that he probably did want to know what the _other things_ were. "What happened next?"

"Well, we both hear that same whispering, and the guy's looking around. Then he pulls out a big knife. Of course, he sees nothing and assumes he was just hearing things. Next thing he knows, his cigar's gone. That's when things got... intense."

"Intense how?"

"Intense as in he started breathing out smoke, then coughing it up. After a few seconds, he spontaneously combusted. It looked like his lungs had been lit on fire from the inside. Though, that would explain all the smoke."

"So, The Phantom can manipulate fire?"

Dennis nodded. "That's what it looked like. Finally, I'm back in the hallway I was in. It's dark, and my cousin's in front of me, repeating my name. He said it was like I was in some sort of trance, and he says I was like that for half an hour. I told him what I saw, and he's trying not to freak out. Next thing we know, we see two lights at the end of the hall. But we realized that they were fire, and the flames were just eyes. It was The Phantom, the light above him is flickering a bit, then he's gone and the lights come back on." The Anatolian Shepherd shook his head. "Scariest night of my life, and I decided to never go bother The Phantom again."

"So, you think that's why he showed you all that? To scare you off so he could be alone?"

Dennis smirked. "You tell me. I heard you got two letters from him, both saying to not go searching for him again."

Gin chuckled. "Yeah, but he knew I wouldn't listen."

Dennis remembered something. "That reminds me. I was also on the rafters, but this time, there was a performance. And I see you, standing there. And I just know you're having a similar experience. But you're not real, so I assume I'm not really there, either. Next thing I know, I see you put on a show when you killed off that entire mob."

Gin shook his head as he grinned. "Well, what can I say? I have military experience."

"Based on what I saw, I do not doubt that."

Gin nodded and stood up before shaking Dennis's hand. "Thanks for telling me."

"Yeah, good luck with your search."

* * *

Later that day, Gin went back to the police station and into Blake's office.

"You failed to mention that their were a couple more deaths."

The Carolina Dog chuckled. "So, you went digging, huh? Well, yeah. There were a few other deaths that I couldn't remember. Let me guess, you spoke to Officer Hector's cousin, Dennis?"

Gin nodded. "He and his cousin had one hell of an experience."

Blake nodded. "Yeah. Hector told me all about it. Pretty insane, even after what I saw."

"Well, life is crazy." Gin said as he sat down.

Blake sighed. "Too true. So, you planning on going after The Phantom tonight, again?"

Gin shook his head. "Not tonight. My friends came, and I gotta get them settled in. Tomorrow night for sure."

"Yeah, I expected no less from you."

"Well, good luck with work. I'm heading home." Gin said as he got up and walked out the door.

Blake nodded as he left. "You, too."


End file.
